Abstract:

Aboveground plant and belowground stem biomass were measured in moist acidic and moist non-acidic tussock tundra experimental plots. Treatments at the acidic site include control and nitrogen (N) plus phosphorus (P) amendments; treatments at the non-acidic site include N, P, N+P, greenhouse warming, and greenhouse+N+P.

Note: Version 8 corrected an error where Carex vaginata was listed twice under treatment of "Nitrogen Phosphorus". The tissues with 8 quadrats were "Greenhouse" treatment.

Date Range:

Sunday, July 23, 2000 to Tuesday, August 1, 2000

Publication Date:

2004

Methods:

Plots at the acidic site (MAT) were set up in July 1996 on extra 5 x 20 meters plots within the four block design of the 1989 LTER acidic tussock experimental plots. On each plot a 5x10 meter section was fenced with large mesh (4-inch square mesh) and within this fence a 5x5-meter plot was fenced with a small mesh (1/2-inch square mesh). In each block two fenced plots were setup: a plot with no fertilizer and a plot with annual fertilization (NP) treatments of 10 g/m2 Nitrogen (as NH4NO3) and 5 g/m2 Phosphorous (as triple superphosphate). In this biomass harvest only the control unfenced (NFCT) and NP unfenced (NFNP) treatments were sampled. Plots at the non-acidic site (MNT) were setup in July 1997. Three replicate blocks were established with the following annual treatments in 5 x 20 m plots: control (CT), nitrogen added (N), phosphorus added (P) and N and P (NP) in the same amounts as described for the MAT site. Two replicate blocks were established with a greenhouse treatment (GH) and a greenhouse fertilized treatment (GHNP). Greenhouses are annually set up in late May or early June and removed in the end of August or early September.

Notes: Cassiope tetragona was not separated into leaves and stems prior to drying and weighing; “new stems” includes new leaves and “old stems” includes old leaves.

Calculations: Tissue mass data are expressed in g/quadrat (400 cm2). Multiply by 25 to get g/m2.

Sampling Description. Biomass quadrats, size 20x20 cm, were taken from each site. Four quadrats were randomly located along line transects in each of the replicate blocks of each treatment. Aboveground biomass is considered "within" the quadrat if it is associated with a meristem that is within the quadrat. Quadrats were sorted within 24 hours into species and then into tissue type. All aboveground biomass and belowground stems (rhizomes) were saved; roots were discarded. The samples were dried at 50-70 degrees C in a drying oven and after several days weighed to nearest milligram. Details are given in Shaver and Chapin (Ecological Monographs, 61(1), 1991, pg. 1-31.)

Version Changes:

Log of changes: Version 3: Translated metadata into Excel metada worksheet, added attribute table and title. Jan 2006 Jiml
Version 4: Added LTERNET Data Access server proxy for Excel and comma delimited data files.
Version 5: Update LTERNET Data Access server proxy link for Excel and comma delimited data files. Changed from knb to das in url.
Version 6: Updated metadata form to new version and eml to 2.1.0 JimL 10Jul2012
Version 7: Added notes about "lumped species" to new "Species Comments" column. Taxonomic coverage data updated. Updated metadata to newer form (with sites sheet). CH March 2013.
Checked keywords against the LTER network preferred list and replaced non-preferred terms. Jim L 27Jan14
Changed Distribution URL since the LTER network DAS system is being discontinued. JimL 9Apr2015
Version 8: Corrected errors in biomass categories - some below stems were listed as new above.
Changed site names, treatments, species and growth forms so they match the master list of all biomass.
Corrected Carex vaginata treatment : Where only 8 quadrats were collected it should be Greenhouse not Nitrogen Phosphorus. Jim Laundre 13Oct2017

Variable Details

(Variables names are in the first line/row of the CSV file and Excel data sheet.)

Date

Label: Date

Definition: Date of beginning of harvest. Harvests usually last 4-5 days.

Type: Date/time

Date format: dd-mmm-yyyy

Missing values: None specified

Site

Label: Site

Definition: Site of harvest

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

Treatment

Label: Treatment

Definition: Plot treatment

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

Growth Form

Label: Growth Form

Definition: Growth form of species

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

Species

Label: Species

Definition: The species sampled or a lumped group. See ?Notes on lumped species? under this variable for notes on species grouped together. ?Seedlings? indicates the number and identity of seedlings found in that quadrat. ?Comments? includes additional information about the quadrat.

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

Tissue

Label: Tissue

Definition: The tissue type

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

Biomass Category

Label: Biomass Category

Definition: growth category of the biomass sample

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

B1Q1

Label: B1Q1

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat. (Code of variable name: B for block and the number following the B is the block number. The Q stands for quadrat with the number following the Q being the quadrat number)

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B1Q2

Label: B1Q2

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B1Q3

Label: B1Q3

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B1Q4

Label: B1Q4

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B2Q1

Label: B2Q1

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B2Q2

Label: B2Q2

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B2Q3

Label: B2Q3

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B2Q4

Label: B2Q4

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B3Q1

Label: B3Q1

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B3Q2

Label: B3Q2

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B3Q3

Label: B3Q3

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B3Q4

Label: B3Q4

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B4Q1

Label: B4Q1

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B4Q2

Label: B4Q2

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B4Q3

Label: B4Q3

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

B4Q4

Label: B4Q4

Definition: oven dried weight of sample collected in a quadrat

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

Average g/quad

Label: Average g/quad

Definition: Average of all quadrats for that species and tissue type.

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

Std. Err.

Label: Std. Err.

Definition: Standard Error of the mean for species and tissue type.

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerFourHundredthMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

Count

Label: Count

Definition: Number of quadrats

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: number

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

Average g/m2

Label: Average g/m2

Definition: Average of all quadrats expressed as

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

Std. Err. g/m2

Label: Std. Err. g/m2

Definition: Standard error of the mean in

Type: Physical quantity

Unit: gramPerMeterSquared

Maximum: Not specified

Minimum: Not specified

Precision: Not specified

Missing values:

na = Missing or Not Measured

Species Comments

Label: Species Comments

Definition: Notes on lumped species categories.

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

Comments

Label: Comments

Definition: Comments about individual samples.

Type: Nominal

Missing values: None specified

This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grants #DEB-1637459, 1026843, 9810222, 9211775, 8702328; #OPP-9911278, 9911681, 9732281, 9615411, 9615563, 9615942, 9615949, 9400722, 9415411, 9318529; #BSR 9019055, 8806635, 8507493. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in the material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.